Nepal principal Rajendra Dawadi helped save 1,643 children after a devastating flash flood struck the Trishuli Valley. Here is how his quick decision saved the students.
Article Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Article Type | International Education News / Human Interest |
| Country | Nepal |
| School | Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School |
| Principal | Rajendra Dawadi |
| Students Evacuated | 1,643 |
| Incident | Flash flood in the Trishuli Valley |
| Date of Incident | August 26, 2026 |
| Published by | EducateGhana.com |
| Editorial Focus | School leadership, emergency response and child safety |
Fact Check & Editorial Review
Reports from multiple international news organisations confirm that Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, acted quickly after receiving warnings that floodwaters were approaching the school.
Contemporary reports differ slightly in how they describe the number of children immediately on campus, but they consistently report that 1,643 pupils were ultimately evacuated to safety. The school was subsequently overwhelmed by floodwaters.
The wider disaster was caused by catastrophic flooding and landslides associated with a major collapse of ice and rock in the Himalayan region. The disaster has resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of people reported missing. The casualty figures have continued to change as rescue operations progress.
Editorial assessment: The account of Dawadi’s evacuation effort is supported by multiple independent reports. EducateGhana.com therefore treats the rescue as a verified international education story while avoiding unsupported claims that he personally “saved” every life through individual action. His leadership was one critical part of a wider evacuation involving teachers, drivers, parents and members of the school community.
Key Takeaways
- Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal, received a warning that dangerous floodwaters were approaching.
- He quickly ordered the evacuation of students from the school.
- He also contacted school bus drivers and instructed them to turn back where possible.
- All 1,643 pupils survived the incident, according to multiple reports.
- The school buildings were subsequently swept away or severely affected by the floodwaters.
- Two school employees were reportedly killed after returning to the danger zone.
- The incident demonstrates the importance of emergency preparedness, early-warning systems and decisive school leadership.
Introduction
A school principal in Nepal has attracted international attention after making a rapid decision that helped move 1,643 children to safety moments before devastating floodwaters swept through the area.
Rajendra Dawadi, the 47-year-old principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Trishuli Valley, was at the centre of the emergency response when warnings began arriving that a destructive surge of water was approaching.
What followed was a race against time.
Dawadi initially believed the school’s three-storey concrete building, located well above the river, offered some protection. However, additional warnings and rapidly rising water changed his assessment.
He sounded the school bell and ordered the evacuation of the classrooms.
The decision proved crucial.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [School Safety and Emergency Preparedness for Teachers and School Leaders]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [The Role of School Leadership in Protecting Learners]
The Warning That Changed Everything
According to reports, Dawadi received a telephone warning at approximately 9:20 a.m. on August 26 from a friend in Betrawati, an area upstream from the school.
The warning was alarming. The friend reportedly told Dawadi that a nearby village had effectively been swept away by the river and urged him to flee.
At first, the principal believed the school building was relatively safe because of its elevated position.
That assessment changed when a parent arrived and warned him that the water was rising rapidly.
Dawadi then made the decision to evacuate.
He rang the school bell and instructed teachers to move the children out of their classrooms and towards higher ground.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Disaster Risk Management in Schools: What Teachers Need to Know]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Why Early Warning Systems Matter in Schools]
The School Buses Became Another Emergency
The evacuation was not limited to children already inside the school.
Several school buses carrying pupils were still travelling towards the school.
Dawadi contacted the drivers he could reach and instructed them to turn back.
One bus, however, was already crossing a bridge near the school when he saw it.
The situation was becoming increasingly dangerous.
According to reports, Dawadi instructed the driver to turn around. The bus managed to reach safety shortly before the bridge collapsed.
This part of the incident highlights an important aspect of emergency leadership. A school emergency does not necessarily involve only people physically present on the school compound. School authorities must also consider pupils who are travelling to or from the institution.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [School Bus Safety: Emergency Procedures Every School Should Have]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Teachers and the Duty of Care for Learners]
1,643 Children Reached Higher Ground
As the evacuation continued, pupils moved away from the school towards higher ground.
Reports indicate that 1,643 children survived the disaster.
The evacuation was not without difficulties. One girl reportedly suffered a panic attack and had to be taken uphill on a motorbike.
Other pupils moved on foot.
The children eventually found temporary shelter under a bodhi tree while floodwaters surged through the area.
Soon afterwards, the school buildings and other structures were overwhelmed by the flood.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [How Teachers Can Manage Student Panic During Emergencies]
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Two School Employees Lost Their Lives
The successful evacuation of the children did not mean that everyone connected to the school escaped the disaster.
Reports indicate that two school employees died after returning to areas affected by the flood.
They were identified as social history teacher Santos Pariyar and school janitor Sultan Lama.
Their deaths underline the dangers faced by teachers and other school workers during emergencies.
Emergency evacuation plans must therefore cover staff as well as learners. Schools need clear rules on when personnel should leave dangerous areas and when returning to retrieve property or assist others could place additional lives at risk.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Teacher Safety During Natural Disasters]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [School Emergency Plans: What Every Headteacher Should Know]
Why Rajendra Dawadi’s Leadership Matters
Dawadi’s response provides a useful lesson in school leadership.
Principals and headteachers are often expected to make decisions when information is incomplete. During a disaster, waiting for perfect information can cost valuable time.
In this case, Dawadi received several warnings, reassessed the situation and moved quickly to evacuate the pupils.
His actions demonstrate three important elements of emergency leadership:
First, situational awareness. He listened to information from people outside the school and recognised that conditions were changing.
Second, decisive communication. The school bell and instructions to teachers created an immediate evacuation response.
Third, responsibility beyond the school compound. His attempts to contact bus drivers show that he considered pupils who were still travelling to the school.
These are lessons that school leaders in Ghana and elsewhere can incorporate into disaster preparedness planning.
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➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Effective Communication During School Emergencies]
What Ghanaian Schools Can Learn From the Nepal Incident
The incident has relevance beyond Nepal.
Ghanaian schools, particularly those located near rivers, low-lying areas, unstable slopes and flood-prone communities, need practical emergency response plans.
A school disaster plan should identify evacuation routes, assembly points, emergency contacts and responsibilities for teachers and administrators.
Schools should also conduct periodic drills so that students and staff understand what to do before an actual emergency occurs.
The Nepal incident further demonstrates the value of communication between schools and surrounding communities. Information from parents, residents, transport operators and other community members can become crucial during rapidly developing emergencies.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Flood Safety Guidelines for Ghanaian Schools]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Emergency Preparedness Checklist for Basic and Secondary Schools]
Nepal’s Wider Flood Disaster
The rescue at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School occurred amid a much larger disaster affecting Nepal and neighbouring areas.
The flooding followed a catastrophic event involving ice and rock in the Himalayan region, producing powerful flows of water and debris.
By August 30, reports indicated that the disaster had killed hundreds of people in Nepal, with thousands still reported missing. Rescue operations were continuing, and casualty figures were changing as authorities recovered victims and accounted for missing people.
Reuters reported that Nepal had begun mass burials of unidentified victims because of the scale of the disaster and pressure on forensic and mortuary facilities.
The tragedy therefore extends far beyond the destruction of one school. It is a major humanitarian emergency.
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [Climate Change, Flooding and the Future of Education]
➡️ Related EducateGhana.com: [How Natural Disasters Affect Children and Education]
“What Else Could I Do?”
Local residents and others have described Dawadi as a hero.
The principal, however, has reportedly been modest about his actions.
Asked about what he did, he responded:
“What else could I do?”
That response captures an important principle of educational leadership.
For a school leader, protecting children is part of the responsibility entrusted to the position.
Dawadi’s story demonstrates what can happen when that responsibility is matched by awareness, courage and timely action.
The Larger Lesson for School Leadership
The story of the Nepalese principal should not be reduced to a story about individual heroism.
Its deeper lesson concerns preparedness.
A school can have a strong building and still be vulnerable to a rapidly developing disaster. Teachers can have emergency procedures and still face unexpected circumstances. A principal can receive a warning and still have only minutes to decide what to do.
The most important question for every school authority is therefore simple:
If a disaster warning reached your school today, would everyone know what to do?
The answer should come from a written emergency plan, regular drills, effective communication systems and clear leadership responsibilities.
The survival of 1,643 pupils in Nepal offers school leaders around the world a powerful reminder that preparation and decisive action can save lives.
Conclusion
Rajendra Dawadi’s response to the Nepal flash flood has become one of the most remarkable school-based survival stories from the disaster.
After receiving warnings that floodwaters were approaching, he ordered the evacuation of students, coordinated with teachers and attempted to redirect school buses still travelling towards the danger zone.
The children reached higher ground before the flood overwhelmed the school.
All 1,643 pupils survived.
Two school employees, however, lost their lives, reminding the public that the disaster remained extremely dangerous even after the children’s evacuation.
For educators, the story carries a lasting message: school safety begins before the emergency occurs.
A prepared school leader must be able to recognise danger, communicate clearly and act decisively when children’s lives are at risk.
EducateGhana.com Editorial Note
The casualty figures from the wider Nepal disaster are still being updated. This article therefore distinguishes the independently reported 1,643 pupils evacuated from the school from the broader disaster statistics, which remain subject to revision.
Sources: International reports from Reuters, The Guardian, Outlook India, NDTV, Moneycontrol and other contemporaneous reports.
